'An honour' - Roberto De Zerbi confirms he is in talks with Brighton over new deal

The Italian joined Albion in September 2022, succeeding head coach Graham Potter who left for Chelsea.

The former Shakhtar Donetsk boss led the Seagulls to European football for the first time in the Sussex side's history after a sixth-place finish in the Premier League last season and now they have qualified for the knockout stages of the Europa League, too.

His work has not gone unnoticed, however. The 44-year-old has been linked with Real Madrid and he has been tipped to eventually succeed Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.

But De Zerbi has repeatedly said he is happy at Brighton and now he has revealed discussions have begun with Albion over a new contract. He said: “I feel very well in Brighton. I have a great relationship with the players, the club, Tony Bloom, Paul Barber, David Weir, and everybody that works at Brighton. We are speaking about a new contract but it is not done yet," said De Zerbi."I usually work to be happy and to enjoy and I feel very good in Brighton. At the end, we have to analyse the target. If the target is the same with the club it's an honour for me to work at Brighton. I don't try to reach a higher level, the most important thing is working seriously, with a good team and good players but anyway it's important to fix an important target."

De Zerbi's current terms at the Amex expire in 2026.